From this post about Chizhik-Pyzhik:
In the first photo you can see Chizhik-Pyzhik, a tiny statue of a bird on a pedestal built into the stonework of the riverside near the Pantelejmonov bridge that crosses the River Fontanki in Saint Petersburg.
Local residents throw small coins onto the platform near the bird’s legs in the belief that if the coin lands on the platform, their wish will come true.
The origin of the name Chizhik-Pyzhik maybe comes from a song sung by the law students at the then nearby Imperial School of Jurisprudence.
The school dress was yellow and green, which is reminiscent of the colours of the siskin (chisik in Russian).
This explains everything except why people believe it’s good luck to land a coin at the bird’s feet.
So, for those of use who live far from Russia – and especially what we hear about in the news – here are Russians enjoying themselves throwing coins to Chizhik-Pyzhik’s feet.
Photograph Works 